John 18:25–40

Peter Says Again He Doesn’t Know Jesus

²⁵As Simon Peter was standing and warming himself, they said to him, “Aren’t you one of that man’s followers?”

Peter said it was not true; he said, “No, I am not.”

²⁶One of the servants of the high priest was there. This servant was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off. The servant said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?”

²⁷Again Peter said it wasn’t true. At once a rooster crowed.

Jesus Is Brought Before Pilate

²⁸Early in the morning they led Jesus from Caiaphas’s house to the Roman governor’s palace. They would not go inside the palace, because they did not want to make themselves unclean; ⁿ they wanted to eat the Passover meal. ²⁹So Pilate went outside to them and asked, “What charges do you bring against this man?”

³⁰They answered, “If he were not a criminal, we wouldn’t have brought him to you.”

³¹Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But we are not allowed to put anyone to death,” the Jews answered. ³²(This happened so that what Jesus said about how he would die would come true.)

³³Then Pilate went back inside the palace and called Jesus to him and asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

³⁴Jesus said, “Is that your own question, or did others tell you about me?”

³⁵Pilate answered, “I am not one of you. It was your own people and their leading priests who handed you over to me. What have you done wrong?”

³⁶Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If it belonged to this world, my servants would have fought to keep me from being given over to the Jewish leaders. But my kingdom is from another place.”

³⁷Pilate said, “So you are a king!”

Jesus answered, “You are the one saying I am a king. This is why I was born and came into the world: to tell people the truth. And everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me.”

³⁸Pilate said, “What is truth?” After he said this, he went out to the crowd again and said to them, “I find nothing against this man. ³⁹But it is your custom that I free one prisoner to you at Passover time. Do you want me to free the ‘king of the Jews’?”

⁴⁰They shouted back, “No, not him! Let Barabbas go free!” (Barabbas was a robber.)